A LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF INTERPERSONAL MEANING IN THE JOB INTERVIEW SCENE OF THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS: A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL APPROACH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31851/pwdf9q72Keywords:
Interpersonal meaning, Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), Speech functions, Mood structures, Job interview discourseAbstract
This research investigates the interpersonal meaning of language in the job interview scene of The Pursuit of Happyness through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). Centering on the speech functions statements, questions, offers, and commands and their realizations through various mood types, the study adopts a qualitative descriptive approach. The dialogue was transcribed and analyzed to uncover how linguistic choices construct social identity, negotiate authority, and convey interpersonal meanings within a formal, institutional context. The findings indicate that statements, predominantly realized through declarative moods, were the most frequent speech function, strategically used by Chris Gardner to demonstrate competence and credibility. In contrast, questions, generally realized through interrogatives, were mainly employed by the interviewers, reflecting institutional control and unequal power relations. Although less frequent, commands and offers played important roles in managing the flow of conversation and exerting subtle authority through indirect or polite expressions. The study shows that speech functions are intricately linked to mood structures and perform essential interpersonal roles such as managing face, expressing stance, and defining relational positions. The use of modality and mood adjuncts further enhances nuances of obligation, willingness, and uncertainty. These findings underscore the effectiveness of SFL as a framework for analyzing spoken discourse and reveal how language functions strategically in job interview contexts to shape interpersonal dynamics.
References
Adele, P. P., & Wulandari, S. (2024). Introduction to critical thinking in educational model for visual communication design methods: study case design methods class for visual communication design program at binus university, Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Visual Culture, Design, and Cinema, 3(2), 1–11.
Anttila, E., Martin, R., & Nielsen, C. S. (2019). Performing difference in/through dance: The significance of dialogical, or third spaces in creating conditions for learning and living together. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 31, 209–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2018.12.006
Arhire, M. (2023). Multilingualism in the Romanian translation of C. N. Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus: Sociolinguistic considerations. Open Linguistics, 9(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2022-0255
Belasen, A., & Belasen, A. T. (2018). Doctor-patient communication: a review and a rationale for using an assessment framework. J Health Organ Manag, 3(7), 891–907. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-10-2017-0262
Chan, K. M., & Fugard, A. J. (2018). Assessing speech, language and communication difficulties in children referred for ADHD: A qualitative evaluation of a UK child and adolescent mental health service. Sage Journals, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104517753510
Eggins, S. (2004). Introduction to systemic functional linguistics. A&C Black.
Er, E., Dimitriadis, Y., & Gasevic, D. (2021). A collaborative learning approach to dialogic peer feedback: a theoretical framework. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(4), 586–600. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1786497
Gardner, H. E. (2018). Motivational variables in second language acquisition. In In S. H. Foster-Cohen, M. S. García, & M. B. Reinders (Eds.), An introduction to language and linguistics (pp. 83–102). Cambridge University Press.
Gee, J., & Gee, J. P. (2020). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203944806
Gill, P., & Baillie, J. (2018). Interviews and focus groups in qualitative research: an update for the digital age. British Dental Journal.
Halliday, M. A. . (2019). Language as social semiotic. Edward Arnold.
Halliday, M. A. ., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. . (2019). An introduction to functional grammar (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431269
Hargie, O. (2021). Skilled interpersonal communication research, theory and practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003182269
Herman, H., Derin, T., Purba, R., Warman, J. S., and Setiono, A. (2023). When actors take over the products: showcasing hallyu-influenced indonesian beauty product advertising through multimodal analysis. Lingua Cultura, 17(2), 161-166. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v17i2.9878
Herman H, Purba R and Saputra N. (2024). The realization of interpersonal meanings in cosmetic Maybelline New York in 2018 advertisements. F1000Research 2024, 12:968. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.129750.3
Ijam, D. M. M., & Al-Ameedi, R. T. K. (2024). A systemic functional linguistic analysis of mood and modality in one of metcalfe’s novels. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(5), 1360–1370. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1405.08
Jaya, A., Hartono, R., Wahyuni, S., & Yulianto, H. J. (2025). From silent to supreme: The transformative power of project-based learning on language learners. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(8), 2025258. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025258
Kartika, S., Jaya, A., Hermansyah, Pratiwi, E., & Kartikasari, D. (2024). The Use of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (Mall) Technology in English Class. Esteem: Journal of English Education Study Programme, 7(1), 109–118.
Kartikasari, E., Larasati, D. A., Rais, W. A., & Warto. (2020). Lexical and phonological differences in javanese in probolinggo, surabaya, and ngawi, indonesia. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(2), 231–241. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1102.11
Khadafi, B. I. (2021). Feminist and Pessimist existentialism in kate chopin’s “the story of an hour”: A systemic functional grammar analysis. Journal of English Language Studies, 6(2), 138. https://doi.org/10.30870/jels.v6i2.10419
Lesiana, N., Mulyadi, Aswadi Jaya, & Pratiwi, E. (2023). Classroom interaction in communicative language teaching of secondary school. Esteem Journal of English Education Study Programme, 7(1), 61–71. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v7i1.12661
Malini, N. L. N. S., Sukarini, N. W., Yadnya, I. B. P., & Maharani, S. A. I. (2022). Exploring needs analysis of English language training: An evidence from small hotel and restaurant employees in Nusa Lembongan, Bali, Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12(1), 212–223. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i1.46437
Muludi, R. R., & Adi, I. R. (2024). The myth of pursuing happiness in the pursuit of happyness. Rubikon: Journal of Transnational American Studies, 11(2), 266–278. https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v11i2.100668
Nagao, A. (2023). Using Systemic functional linguistics and the genre-based approach in EFL classroom language communities of practices. Journal of Asia TEFL, 20(2), 316–337. https://www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE11604374
Namaziandost, E., Abedi, P., & Nasri, M. (2019). The role of gender in the accuracy and fluency of iranian upper-intermediate EFL learners’ l2 oral productions. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 6(3), 110–123. https://www.jallr.com/index.php/JALLR
Nayeem, M. A., Alim, A., & Roshid, M. M. (2025). Learning language beyond the classroom: Reading English newspapers in university dormitories and developing English language skills. Mextesol Journal, 49(1). https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v49n1-5
Rahmawati, R., Tannuary, A., Herman, H., Situmorang, A. E., Napitupulu, Y. E., Hutapea, D. K., Pangaribuan, S. S., Sihotang, E. R. (2025). Functional grammar study: Analyzing the Batak proverb "Dalihan Natolu" from the perspective of systemic functional grammar. Indonesian EFL Journal, 11(2), 159-168. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v11i2.11767
Ria, R. N., & Setiawan, T. (2023). Forensic linguistic analysis of netizens’ hate speech acts in tik-tok comment section. Britain International of Linguistics, Arts and Education, 5(2), 141–152. https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v5i2.894
Searle, J. R. (2019). Speech Acts: An Essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge University Press.
Shaumiwaty, S., Fatmawati, E., Syathroh, I. L., Siagian, C. B., Anggraini, D. F., and Herman, H. (2024). Understanding the meaning of an advertisement text through interpersonal function analysis. Anglophile Journal, [S.l.], 4(1), 30-37. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.51278/anglophile.v4i1.875.
Silalahi, T. F., Purba, R., Manurung, S. M., Purba, I. P., Butar Butar, L., Herman, H., Batubara, J., and Tannuary, A. (2024). Learning the meaning of song lyrics through the elements of ideational metafunction: A case on systemic functional linguistics. Anglophile Journal, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 1, p. 61-76. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.51278/anglophile.v4i1.413.
Sutikno, S., Judijanto, L., Purba, R., Fatmawati, E., Risnawaty, R., Ningrum, D. W., Herman, H., and Saputra, N. (2025). Critical discourse analysis (cda) of norman fairclough's theory on gojek youtube advertisement gosend version: Jadi #bestsellergosend bareng ariel noah. Studies in Media and Communication, 13(2), 175-186. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v13i2.7561
Thompson, R. (2022). Training across generations: tailoring educational programs to enhance productivity. Workforce Management Journal, 29(1), 72–90.
Tisdell, E. J., Merriam, S. B., & Struckey-Peyrot, H. L. (2025). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.
Torky, S. A. E. F. I., & Ahmed, N. H. A. E. G. S. (2025). Promoting EFL students’ reading comprehension, grammatical competence, collocational competence and critical thinking disposition via data-driven pedagogical translation. Egyptian Journal of Educational Sciences, 5(1), 191–266. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejes.2025.446747
Umiyati, M. (2020). A literature review of forensic linguistics. IJFL: International Journal of Forensic Linguistics, 1(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.22225/ijfl.1.1.1625.23-29
Wicaksono, M. B. A., & Tristiana, E. (2025). Legal politics of law number 11 Of 2020 concerning job creation in the labor legal aspects. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 7(8). https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2025406
Zou, B., Guan, X., Shao, Y., & Chen, P. (2023). Supporting Speaking Practice by Social Network-Based Interaction in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Assisted Language Learning. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15042872
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Yanti Kristina Sinaga, Jumino Suhadi, Devi Pratiwy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
In order to assure the highest standards for published articles, a peer review policy is applied. In pursue of the compliance with academic standards, all parties involved in the publishing process (the authors, the editors and the editorial board and the reviewers) agree to meet the responsibilities stated below in accordance to the Journal publication ethics and malpractice statement.
Duties of Authors:
- The author(s) warrant that the submitted article is an original work, which has not been previously published, and that they have obtained an agreement from any co-author(s) prior to the manuscript’s submission;
- The author(s) should not submit articles describing essentially the same research to more than one journal;
- The authors(s) make certain that the manuscript meets the terms of the Manuscript Submission Guideline regarding appropriate academic citation and that no copyright infringement occurs;
- The authors(s) should inform the editors about any conflict of interests and report any errors they subsequently, discover in their manuscript.
Duties of Editors and the Editorial Board:
- The editors, together with the editorial board, are responsible for deciding upon the publication or rejection of the submitted manuscripts based only on their originality, significance, and relevance to the domains of the journal;
- The editors evaluate the manuscripts compliance with academic criteria, the domains of the journal and the guidelines;
- The editors must at all times respect the confidentiality of any information pertaining to the submitted manuscripts;
- The editors assign the review of each manuscript to two reviewers chosen according to their domains of expertise. The editors must take into account any conflict of interest reported by the authors and the reviewers.
- The editors must ensure that the comments and recommendations of the reviewers are sent to the author(s) in due time and that the manuscripts are returned to the editors, who take the final decision to publish them or not.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a pre-publication manuscript (but not the Publisher final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access). Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
